Kelly Says

The I.N.A.T. Revisited

It’s been a few months since we got the I.N.A.T. For those of you who don’t know what that is, click here.

We have enjoyed our toy since we got it, and all things considered, it has worked out pretty well for us. After about 1500 miles, I can safely say that it has been worth the small amount we spent to get it. But every white cloud has a dark side, and that is what I’m going to comment on today.

Last weekend found our clan taking a long weekend to go to the Dublin cookoff. We have gone there for the past 4 years and it has always been a great get-away for the whole family. In addition to a good cookoff they have a nice pool, a playground for the kids, a tractor pull and trees. Trees might not impress you, but we’re from west Texas – trees are a treat for us!

But let’s get back on track. We left home on Thursday, heading to Dublin. This is normally a 4 hour trip from Tahoka, but we were in no real hurry; just getting along at a comfortable pace. We were 40 miles down the road when our air conditioner belt decided that it was time to depart us. It made a horrific sound and a unique aroma, but not really a problem. We stopped to check things out and to get the old belt unwrapped from the engine. We started the generator to get the other a.c. going and got ready to hit the road again. It was then that the engine didn’t start. I turned the switch off, waited a few seconds, and tried again, Again, the engine refused to crank. This went on for a while- turn the key, nothing happens and utter a profanity.

We eventually decided that we needed a new starter. Since we were in a very poor cell phone area I climbed on top of the moterhome and called a friend for help. Several calls and a couple of hours later we had our new starter on and we were ready to hit the road again. It was then that I realized that it was hot. The generator was purring, but the air conditioner wasn’t. I looked briefly, but I couldn’t find an obvious problem with the generator, so we opened the windows and rolled down the highway. And roll we did! Mile after mile clicked over on the odometer, wind blowing through our hair, bugs in our teeth. Then the noise! 5 miles after we got going again, running 65 M.P.H., the starter was engaged and grinding! In true NASCAR pit crew fashion we slid to the side of the road, raised the hood and unhooked the battery cable – in less than 12 seconds it seemed.

I had to wait a little while for the starter to cool off so I could find the trouble, but the wind had kicked up to about 45 and a storm was coming. So, wearing my best brisket gloves, I pulled the hot starter off and found the burnt wires. For those who don’t know, I am an electrician, so the fact that masking tape was all I had is sort of embarrassing. But we were determined to get going. So salvaged electrical tape and pure luck got the starter put together again.

And off we went!

Things were uneventful for a while after that. I made a phone call when we got to Abilene and found an auto parts store to get a new set of belts. It was getting too late to put them on that night (it was 7 in the evening and we had left home at 1, on a leg of the trip that normally takes 2 hours), so I decided that I would fix everything Friday morning at Dublin, while it was cool.

After a quick stop to get gas, we set out again. Things were starting to look up for us. It was hot, loud and windy, but we were putting miles behind us. We exited I-20 for highway 6 – only 40 more miles to go!

If you ever get to Gorman, Texas you will find real handy parking space beside the speed limit sign on the west edge of town. We used it when the INAT went dead. The questionably repaired starter wiring finally failed at that point, leaving us stranded for the 3^rd time that day, just as the sun went down. At this point there was no discussion, everybody knew their job and we began tearing into the motorhome. The original use of jumper cables, masking tape and dishtowels got us rolling for the final 24 mile stretch of our trip. We arrived at the park in Dublin at 10 p.m., 9 hours after beginning our 4 hour trip. We didn’t bother trying to set up camp that night. I got out a lawnchair and a beer. That was enough for one day.

Friday morning found me putting on new belts. As anyone who has ever bought a set of belts knows, my next step was to borrow a car and go find the RIGHT SIZE belts. Then I bummed a ride from another cooker to go get more belts. At the end of the day, I had a new alternator belt, a new power steering belt and improved gas mileage – because you can’t buy the right air conditioner belt in Dublin!

We had a decent weekend cooking. I made just enough money to pay for all the parts I had to buy. We left early Sunday morning with dread in our hearts about the trip ahead of us. As luck would have it, we arrived home in Tahoka at 11:30 a.m., exactly 4 hours after we left Dublin. And we grinned as we thought to ourselves – ITS NOT A TENT!

The opinions listed here are those of Kelly Draper, and may not reflect the opinions of any other LSBS officers or members.